Articles | Volume 18, issue 8
https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-18-5951-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-18-5951-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Data description article
| 
24 Aug 2026
Data description article |
| 24 Aug 2026
| 24 Aug 2026
Decadal surge of water-surface solar in China's Yangtze Delta: A high-fidelity SAR-optical fusion inventory (2015–2024)
Yue Yan
School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China
Xin Jiang
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China
Sihuan Wei
Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Industrial Intelligence and Digital Twin, Eastern Institute of Technology, Ningbo, Zhejiang, China
Department of Building Environment and Energy Engineering, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, China
International Centre of Urban Energy Nexus, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, China
Yubin Jin
Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Industrial Intelligence and Digital Twin, Eastern Institute of Technology, Ningbo, Zhejiang, China
Department of Computing, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong SAR, China
Xinyu Zou
School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China
Junwei Liu
International Centre of Urban Energy Nexus, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, China
Yaotong Cai
School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China
Jianhuai Ye
School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China
Zhilin Guo
School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China
Zhenzhong Zeng
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China
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Short summary
Floating solar is growing rapidly in China, but its long-term development remains poorly documented. We created a decade-long map of floating solar installations in the Yangtze River Delta using satellite observations and visual verification. The mapped area increased from 17.4 square kilometers in 2015 to 145.4 square kilometers in 2024. This dataset supports renewable energy planning and future studies of environmental changes related to floating solar expansion.
Floating solar is growing rapidly in China, but its long-term development remains poorly...
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